A personal blog from librarian who is progressive and pagan, discussing politics, current events, and books.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

U.S. Teen Pregnancies Still Highest in Industrialized World

...which is why we need comprehensive, age-appropriate sex ed. The article lays out the negative consequences very well:

"Adolescent moms are significantly less likely to receive their high school diploma than those who wait to have children. They are more likely to live in poverty, receive public assistance, and have long periods of welfare dependency. Teen fathers are also less likely to finish high school and are more likely to have lower paying jobs than their male peers who have children at an older age. Later in life, the daughters of teen mothers are themselves at high risk of having children in their adolescent years, and their sons have a higher chance of being incarcerated than the sons of older mothers.

Teen pregnancy can also lead to poor health outcomes for mother and baby. Lack of prenatal care often leads to pregnancy complications such as low birth weight, which affects nearly 10% of babies born to teen mothers."